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Things have (thankfully) finally been stirring on the Croisette after a rather lukewarm start to the festival here with a couple of high profile movies hitting the big screen of the Grand Theatre Lumière. One is by perennial controversial Danish director Lars Von Trier (Antichrist, Melancholia) just back from a years-long time-out for bad behavior.

As we pass the Cannes mid-way point the only clear trend is: hair is making a statement. And men are predictable though sometimes surprising.

Spanish-born German actor and Golden Globe nominee Daniel Brühl told HFPA journalist Jenny Cooney how he played a little trick on Quentin Tarantino in his audition for Inglorious Basterds:  “By the end of the audition, Quentin said ah, that was alright, but it’s a shame that I cannot see you acting in French when you are flirting with the girl.   And I said that’s not a problem, I can translate it right away.

At 77, with a career that started in the early 60s and gave him two Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor in 1971 and 1973 for his role in Marcus Welby MD, and four other nominations in 1972, 1984, 1985 and 2004, James Brolin could be enjoying the memories of the past instead of thinking on the challenges of the future. But the father of three, including actor Josh Brolin, and husband of Cecil B.

Fashion is fun and fantasy, and some of the fantasy is that many of the looks we embrace hold a different standard for men and women. Not only ageism, warmth, but comfort too.

Before the whole festival imploded under the pressure of a growing number of filmmakers and artists, several films were screened to mixed reactions. Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby received mostly glowing reviews, around the theme of 'he's back to the vein of Repulsion'.

The Avengers continue to rule the multiverse and the international box office without much opposition. After a spectacular opening in China to the tune of $ $200 million, Avengers: Infinity War easily sailed into its third week of box office domination with a hero-worthy $324.

Stars and industry leaders converged to Nikki Beach Sunday evening for a very good cause: the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), in association with Participant Media, awarded the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence against children, a $500,000 grant. Support for entertainment-related charities, scholarship programs, and humanitarian efforts is a core mandate of the HFPA, which has already donated over $30 million over the past years and has been making a point of celebrating great causes in events such as the Cannes Film Festival.

So much for the early theme of capes – before they could solidify as a trend they disappeared. Today it poured at Cannes.

Wait! What do you mean? Caucasians aren’t the only people making art? Yes, there are some impactful films to be seen at Cannes, but the biggest headline is that the world is represented in all its variations and it’s wonderful to see.